Blogs

A copy of 'The Last Supper' by Leonardo da Vinci from his studio still exists as proposed by authors Jean-Pierre Isbouts and Christopher Heath Brown in the documentary 'The Search for the Last Supper' while working on their book 'The Young Leonardo: The Evolution of a Revolutionary Artist, 1472–1499'. Since only 20% of the original fresco remains intact, this canvas in a remote abbey in Tongerlo, Belgium, an hour outside Antwerp, commissioned by King Louis XII of France, helps fill in the gaps of the original fresco and comprehend its impact when it was new.

The figures line up perfectly, suggesting it was made using the same cartoons used to produce the original. Andrea Solario, known as one of Leonardo’s best assistants, largely sought over the work just like other known copies of the artist’s works created by his studio. The painting is delicate made up of multiple canvases stitched together and requires significant restoration.

Blog 2:
An exhibition titled ‘The Face of the Sun’ curated by gallerist Puneet Shah at Akara Art, Mumbai, explores the commonalities between contemporaries and friends Arpita Singh, Jagdish Swaminathan and Manjit Bawa. Though the artists had a distinct visual language, their works incorporated elements of the tribal India, folklore, symbols and above all a raw vocabulary.
Arpita Singh is known for her depiction of middle aged women threatened in an urban context. The women who represent divinity in the country are subjected to varied horrors of violence in the external world. Manjit Bawa was a Punjabi artist who meditated on the image of conventional gods creating a novel visual of shadowless divinity with pastoral scenes in a bright colour palette. Swaminathan used bold symbols from the yantra, brahmanical logos and ritual rites creating an interesting and fascinating array of works with limited colours.

Blog 3:

An exhibition titled ‘Michael Jackson: On the Wall’ curated by Dr Nicholas Cullinan at the National Portrait Gallery, London coincides with the anniversary of Jackson’s 60th birthday on 29 August 2018 and explores his artistic impact on contemporary art apart from his discourse in music, music videos, dance, choreography and fashion. Artists like Lyle Ashton Harris, Hank Willis Thomas and Candice Breitz among 40 others investigate his life and identity.
Andy Warhol was the first to use his image in 1982 and Jackson went on to become the most depicted cultural figure in visual art. Apart from the works of Andy Warhol and these artists, a number of new works are also commissioned. Open till 21 October 2018, the exhibition commemorates the musician’s legacy for a large number of his followers into the 21st century.

Blog 4:

In the Jain tradition, the Acharyas & Sadhus (teacher & saints) hold the prime significance. Every Chaturmas (a holy period of four months reserved for penance, austerities and fasting), devotees invite their revered monks to their region in the hope of being blessed by their intellect, divine providence and sheer presence. The decision of the destination of stay rests with the monks themselves.
To facilitate the monk’s journey, the oofy zealots commissioned scroll maps that guided the monks through the water bodies, public spaces and more to their abode. These vijnaptipatras were bordered with dense floral designs and presented beautiful linear illustrations composed largely of profile faces and flat colour.

Blog 5 :

Demolish or Restore Taj Mahal?
The Taj Mahal seems to be struggling for survival. “Either we shut down the Taj or demolish it or you restore it,” the two-judge committee told state officials last week. Due to pollution and insect dung, the white marble is turning yellow and brown in certain parts.
According to the Indian Express newspaper, the Supreme Court judges told the Ministry of Environment and Forests that the “Uttar Pradesh government is not bothered. No action plan or vision document has come yet.” While Archaeology Survey of India is trying to combat the effects of pollution, the Supreme Court will monitor the situation on a day-to-day basis from 31 July.
The environment ministry, along with a committee led by the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur will find out the exact source of pollution and the analysis will take around four months to compile.
#tajmahal#supremecourt#india#artnews#artblog#culture

Blog 6 :

A new Art Fair in Singapore
The Swiss-based @MCH Group which owns the @Art Basel franchise is launching an event in Singapore next autumn as a joint venture with Sandy Angus of Angus Montgomery Arts and the event organiser Tim Etchells. After acquiring 67.5% stake in @Masterpiece London, a 60.3% stake in the @India Art Fair and a 25.1% stake in art.fair International, the organiser behind @Art Düsseldorf in November 2017, Art SG is the latest venture.
Around 80 galleries from Singapore, Southeast Asia and beyond are expected to take part in the first @ART SG fair, which opens at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands on 1st November and will go on until 3 November 2019. Applications are due to open later this year.
#MCHgroup#Artbasel#art#indiaartfair#Artsg#artnews#artblog#culture

Blog 7:

Vivan Sundaram at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art
An #exhibition titled ‘Step inside and you are no longer a stranger’ showcasing the #retrospective of a 50 year old career of the #artist #VivanSundaram at the @KiranNadarMuseumofArt curated by Roobina Karode and designed by Siddhartha Chatterjee, ends today. The exhibition that opened on 9th February 2018, displayed the artist’s various series of work and commemorates his interactive and aware sense of artistry.
The exhibition showed 180 artworks gathered from 42 private and public collections. His works in London from 1966 to 1970 as a student at the @SladeSchoolof FineArt, the MachhuPichhu, #Mexico series, works on #Gandhi, #Khajuraho, #Bhupen Khakhar, the contemporary scandals and many more.

Blog 8 :

Ai Weiwei’s work on the 10th anniversary of Sichuan Earthquake
On 12 May 2008, an earthquake devastated Sichuan province, China, claiming 70,000 lives including more than 5,000 students crushed under the rubble of their collapsed school buildings. Ai Weiwei initiated a volunteer investigation and set out to identify each individual student killed in the disaster using the materials recovered from destroyed buildings in works that criticise the Chinese government's response.
Rebar and Case is among his various works, a series of sculptures resembling twisted steel from collapsed schools placed in coffin-like boxes. This series is on view at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts from 22 July to 30 August.